


A Day in the Life

by navaan



Category: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Genre: Banter, Friendship, Gen, Gen Fic, Humor, POV Female Character, Saving the Day, Superheroes, Team, Yuletide 2012
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2012-12-19
Packaged: 2017-11-21 15:22:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/599296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Janet just wants to spend a quiet day on her own. Of course, things rarely go as planned if you're a superheroine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Day in the Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sageness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sageness/gifts).



There were some days when all Jan really wanted to do was relax and forget that the world was a crazy place. 

Being an Avenger had turned out to be a full time job for her. And she didn’t mind. She didn’t mind at all. Her life was so much more exciting now than it ever had been. She was using her powers for good, for something better than even Hank could have envisioned when he'd developed his particles. The Avengers had given her a purpose and she would never not love being part of the team. 

But sometimes it was time to just go out and relax a little and leave the hero persona behind just for one day. 

Yes, Jan had really just wanted to spend a day without crime fighting, without a planet-threatening crisis or team mates in trouble. And she knew she could trust the other Avengers to keep anything world shattering from happening without her for a few hours.

But it seemed she couldn't trust her own ability to stay out of trouble. 

“Really?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest and looking up at the burly man who was pointing his gun right at her. “I want to spend one quiet day and you decide to rob a bank right in front of me? Are you just a little crazy?”

The man's face was a strange mix of confusion and rage, but Janet had seen the likes of him countless times before. “Better get down like the others, lady,” he said, gesturing at the other innocent people who had been at the bank when these ruffians had decided to get on with their little robbery. Everyone was staring at them with fear and confusion written on their faces. It wasn't everyday that a tastefully dressed, slight woman like herself faced down big, armed guys. Well, it was every other day for _her_ , but it seemed for these amateurs robbing the bank this was a first time.

“You have no idea who I am, right? That's pretty embarrassing, guys, really.” Jan put her hands on her hips and leaned her whole body forward a bit, as if speaking to a wayward child, although she had to look up to meet his eyes. “You should really have done your homework, before staging something like this in _New York_ \- in _my_ shopping area.”

It seemed that big and burly was finally losing his patience with her. “Shut up!” 

“Sorry. You don't get to tell me that, darling,” she said with a smile and it was what finally drove the guy over the edge. He fired a shot, while one of his accomplices was calling out that they weren't here for murder, that nobody was supposed to get hurt. The room was holding its collective breath, waiting for the inevitable to happen. But Jan had been prepared for this from the moment she had stepped right into the robbery, and now shrunk down and out of the way of the bullet. In the blink of an I she made sure no one was behind her and finally freed her wings to take off into the air. Small as the insect that had given her the superhero name she was known by she dove behind her attacker, amused at his expression of horror when he looked at her civilian clothes falling to the floor without her. She smiled to herself and aimed her stingers at his gun, then one at his face – and quickly was in front of the next thug, before these guys had even realized what hit them.

She took one out with a punch to his chin, after making him drop the combat rifle he'd been carrying. Then she returned to a size that was a little closer to her normal form but still allowed her wings to carry her weight and smiled at the last remaining robber. Behind her a young woman was whispering in awe: “It's the Wasp! It's really the Wasp!”

“So? You understand now why doing this in my city is a bad idea, yeah?”

He stared at her open mouthed before dropping his weapon without complaint.

When the police arrived Jan had already done all their work for them. She watched with satisfaction as all three of them were hurled away and told them in passing: “You know what's interesting? This was supposed to be my day off.”

Which, of course, was the exact moment when her Avengers ID card alerted her that something was wrong.

Carol's voice sounded slightly frantic and Jan wasn't used to hearing it this way. “Guys? Can anybody hear me? Iron Man? Anybody?”

“Ms. Marvel?”

“Oh, thank god, Jan! I may have a little problem on my hands...”

“Tell me about it,” Jan quipped, but Carol looked a little panicked, so she asked in a more serious tone: “Are you all right?”

“Yes, but I can't reach any of the others. I know Thor is back home and Panther is back in Wakanda, but...”

“Why do you need the Avengers, Carol? What's going on?”

Carol looked a little unsure for a moment and then said: “It's A.I.M. - they're after me... I think.”

Just a normal day of relaxation then, Jan thought ruefully. Sometimes it was just too much to ask.

& & &

By the time Jan reached Carol, everything had already been going to hell it seemed. She was just in time to watch Ms. Marvel fall to the concrete hard, unhurt, but weakened and leaving an impressive dent in the middle of the street. Jan had shrunk herself down again and was glad for it now. It was actually nice to not be easily spotted.

“Get off me,” Carol growled, punching one of the yellow clad A.I.M. henchmen hard enough to make him fly a few feet across the street. “What's your problem? It was a nice, quiet day until you guys showed up...”

Behind her more busy A.I.M. members were in the process of erecting some sort of machine, while three others were hurrying to put some metal platforms into place – right around Carol. That couldn't mean anything good.

Janet picked up speed to reach Carol's side, but the moment a humming sound reached her ears, she knew she was to late. A force field came alive around her team mate and Jan nearly knocked right into it. She nearly cried out to Carol in warning, but pressed her hands over her mouth to stop herself. A.I.M hadn't spotted her yet, and maybe they could use that to their advantage.

Carol's head jerked around into her direction and their eyes met for a moment. With the slightest possible nod Carol let Janet know that she'd seen her.

“So is this a cage that's supposed to hold me for long?” Carol asked.

“Only until we're ready to have your DNA extracted.”

“That sounds uncomfortable. Could we skip that maybe? I'll make another appointment...”

Jan latched onto one of the metal parts that were holding the force field together, careful to stay out of sight. She wasn't sure what her next step could be – but whatever it was she wanted to do, it would have to be soon. She activated the alarm on her ID card and let herself be taken into the bowel of the A.I.M. carrier without making a sound.

& & &

“So, you're after the Kree DNA that was fused with mine, yes? Well, I'd like to keep things the way they are now,” Carol was saying, when around them scientist were setting everything into motion for the next step of their experiments. Nobody answered her, of course.

Jan risked a look at the nearest computer screen. She had no idea what the numbers were supposed to tell her and she secretly wished that Hank was around. Or Tony. Or T'Challa. Someone who knew more about the science behind all of this. But her ID card, too, stayed silent.

But when she looked up at Carol, she was smiling a little, pointing at the metal Janet was clinging to.

Yes, of course. Sometimes science was just overrated. Janet had a learned a lot from their team mates. And she'd learned how to smash things from the best of them. 

By the time the people around them finally _heard_ Jan attacking their super high tech force field, it was already too late. The energy circle broke and Carol floated in the middle of the room with a slightly nasty smile on her face.

“Hello. I'm Ms. Marvel – and it seems I'm no longer your prisoner. Lets turn the tables, huh? What do you think, Wasp?”

Janet allowed herself to grow to what was nearly her normal height and smiled back. “Oh, it's a good day for a little brawl, don't you think?”

& & &

A few hours later they both were curled up on the couch in the living room back at the mansion. They were both cleaned up and tired – and there was no sign of any of the others. At this point Janet wasn't sure if she should be annoyed or worried. Carol looked as if she could be falling asleep any minute now – and Jan had to admit that this had been a tiring day and not exactly the relaxation she'd been hoping for. “I really just wanted to go shopping,” she said out loud.

Carol looked up at her. “You wanted to take the day off, didn't you?”

“Well, you never really have the day off when you're an Avenger.” Jan shrugged. “How are you?”

“Tired and a little hungry,” Carol admitted. “And a little worried that none of the boys called in. Do you think there is more trouble on our door step?”

Janet chuckled. Then suddenly she realized how very likely it was that this day wasn't quite over, yet and the smile froze on her face. She really felt like just dropping and not getting up any time soon. But what if the others really were in trouble? Worry made her sit up straight and meet Carol's equally worried eyes. “Maybe we should...”

The mansion door opened with a bang they could hear all the way to the living room. Arguing voices could be heard in the hall. Both women were up in the air the next moment. 

“It was all your fault. If you'd followed the plan...” Tony was saying.

“Yeah, sure, Stark. That was a _crazy_ plan,” Hawkeye spat. “And seriously? This guy wasn't after me! So obviously it's your fault! How many enemies do you have, man? Seriously? Dragons? That's what I'd expect from one of Thor's...”

“Where have you guys been all day!” Janet called out to them in the hallway. But when they finally came around the corner, both Janet and Carol could only stare.

“Sorry, did you need us for something?” Tony asked. He was holding his helmet under one arm, but it was obvious that it had been damaged severely. The rest of his suit was blackened and – melted? - in places. Sweat and dirt covered his face and he looked a little pale, and, well, a little tired and angry all at the same time, which was something only Tony Stark could really pull of while still looking superior. Clint was glowering at him. His costume didn't look much better than the Iron Man suit. Then he looked over at Carol and Janet, as if he was expecting an answer to Tony's question, taking in their tidy and and clean state and narrowing his eyes even further.

Janet shook her head. “No. Not really. We got along fine. Without you.”

Behind her Carol started to snicker. “And _we_ were worried when nobody answered out alarm. Next time call for help, guys.” Janet couldn't stop herself from snickering along.

Both Tony and Clint glared at them. Only Steve, who hadn't said a single word yet and who despite some scorched places on his uniform seemed relatively unscathed, didn't glare. His eyes were twinkling with mirth, when he said: “We would have. But our ID cards got... incinerated.”

“Yeah. And after Stark's helmet got damaged we were a little cut off from communications.” Hawkeye gestured at Tony in his not so shiny Iron Man suit and added: “Which makes this all even more his fault.”

Tony sighed loudly.

“At least we worked together like grown-ups,” Carol stage whispered towards Jan.

Steve smiled. “How was your day, then?”

Carol started chuckling again and so it was Jan: “Oh, you know, Cap. Another normal day in the life of us heroes.” 

& & &

“So this is what a normal day as an Avenger looks like?” Carol asked the next morning, when she and Jan were sitting at the breakfast table.

Jan shrugged. “At least it's never boring.”

Tony was sitting across from them ignoring his food in favor of reading the news on a tablet. Behind him Steve was doing push-ups and Carol couldn't keep from staring in fascination. After a moment she turned to Janet ans asked: “Why is Steve doing push-ups in the kitchen?”

“He's trying to guilt me into working out with him. This is pretty normal for him,” Tony answered without looking up. “It's not working by the way,” he said in a lowered voice and into Steve's general direction.

Steve winked at Carol, without even slowing down and she and Jan chuckled. “So another normal day then?”

“Another normal day,” Janet nodded and then gave Carol a slightly wicked grin. “Want to go shopping?”

“Sounds nice and relaxing. Why not?”

Janet punched the air. “Yes! Come on! Let's get ready!” She jumped up and made her way to the kitchen door. When she was nearly there she turned and smiled her sweets smile. “Maybe today it will even actually work out.”


End file.
